Potato Chip Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo

Breakfast in Spain tends to be a simple affair of coffee with maybe some toast and a slice of ham or a pastry. It's a small, low-key kind of thing that can be a bit frustrating for the American tourist used to starting his day with a hearty feast of eggs or waffles or pancakes or bacon (or all of the above!).

And so there is Brunch & Cake--a cute little restaurant in the L'Eixample neighborhood in Barcelona that serves American-style breakfast food with a Catalan touch and is popular with locals and tourists alike.

Eugene and I ate there our first morning in Barcelona, having arrived from Lisbon late the previous night. Tired and hungry, we appreciated the mix of familiarity and local flavor.

It was there that I first tried the awesomeness that is eggs with potato chips.

Served scrambled with chives and Iberian ham on the side, they were a riff on the potato chip fritata created by culinary master Ferran Adrià. Adrià's version was itself a riff on the classic tortilla de patatas (also known as tortilla española), and a genius shortcut that replaced freshly cooked potatoes with crunchy potato chips.

For my homemade version of potato chip scrambled eggs, I add diced onions and Spanish chorizo along with the crispy potato chips.

I recommend using thick kettle-style chips in your favorite flavor. Plain is awesome, of course, but think about other flavors that would work well with the eggs. Something spicy with hints of jalapeño would be awesome. Or black pepper chips. Or sour cream and onion--already two things that go well with eggs.

(This time, I used a bag of chips that taste like spicy dill pickles. For reals. They're ridiculous and after tasting them for the first time last weekend, I promptly went back to the store and got two more bags. Freaking love.)

Regardless of the chips you use, these might become your new favorite breakfast thing.

****Loved this recipe? Here are three other easy breakfast recipes you might like: